The Oldbag Apocalypse
by Clydell Humphries
Summary: Collab with Diana Lily and Isabella! After science goes seriously wrong, our heroes are horrified to learn that the recently deceased Wendy Oldbag has risen once more, with severe consequences. Will it be possible for everybody to survive the horror and madness that is the old bag... multiplied by hundreds? Crack fic.
1. The Beginning

On a bleak March day, people clad in black stood in a rough circle, surrounding a freshly dug grave. Inside a plain coffin held the remains of Ms. Wendy Oldbag, completely dressed in her pink badger costume.

"She was a fighter," announced the priest presiding over the ceremony seriously. "And she knew the importance of never giving up."

"You can say that again," muttered Phoenix Wright to his assistant, Maya Fey, who placed a hand over her lips to hide a small smile.

"She really _never_ did give up, right until the end," the priest continued, ignoring the whispers.

"I am aware of that," Miles Edgeworth murmured, gritting his teeth.

Of all the places, he never pictured himself to attend the funeral of the old bag. It had only been two weeks since they'd seen her at Gatewater Land; the same as always. She'd berated them about respect for elders, ranted about the stone age in which she'd grown up in, and worst of all... insisted that there was some sort of romantic relationship going on between them. Yet here he was, paying his last _respects_, though he detested using the word when it came to this situation.

"It's sorta weird that she's gone now..." Kay muttered next to him. "I'm not really upset, but... I got the impression she was sorta gonna live forever, you know? I mean, she made it this far."

"She was only human," he mumbled in reply as he grasped her hand, though he suspected the old bag was more demon than that. Everyone paused for a moment, and it was as if they could hear her angry "Whippersnapper!" echoing in the wind.

"May she rest in peace," the priest concluded at last, softly shutting the bible he was holding. General sighs echoed around the circle, but whether from remorse or just relief that the ceremony was finally over, no one would ever know. The group slowly began to disband, everyone heading toward their cars, or in Phoenix and Maya's case, the bike racks. Soon, the only people left were Kay, Miles, and Ema, still on her vacation from Europe.

Suddenly, a taxi pulled up to the winding drive leading to the grave site. A familiar woman jumped out and hurried up the road, heels clicking on the asphalt. She ran a hand through her wavy black hair, looking anxious. Then she saw the people standing on top of the hill and grinned, waving. Ema waved back, but Edgeworth stood still in disbelief. It couldn't be...

His mind raced immediately. He never expected her to have come; Madeline, his legal aide had only met the old bag once or twice, and had been just about as thrilled as he had. Still... _he'd_ come to the funeral regardless. He glanced at Kay, who was unaware of the newcomer.

He had to act fast. As slyly as he could, his hand dove into his pocket, searching for something, _anything._

"Here's ten dollars!" he burst out, handing the money to her. Upon receiving her somewhat bewildered expression, he forced a smile. "Ah... you've had a long day. I'm sure both you and Gumshoe would enjoy sharing a swiss roll; I believe there's a store down the street. It's been a while since you've had the opportunity."

"Really?" Kay's eyes lit up at the mention of her favourite treat, and one of her dearest friends. She grinned, not caring about how sudden the situation seemed. "Thanks!" She took the note, looking around and spotting the good detective leaving in his beat-up old patrol car. The thief looked up at the prosecutor, smiling. "I'll see you later." She quickly kissed him on the cheek before sprinting down the hill and catching up to a car. After a few quick words with Gumshoe, she climbed in and the two Swiss Roll fanatics sped away.

At about this time, the woman made it to the top of the hill. Besides from being slightly annoyed that her heels were digging into the grass and making it difficult to walk, which had distracted her thoroughly on the journey, she looked beautiful. "Hi," she said shyly, hands clasped behind her back like they always did when she was nervous. She'd been away for almost a year now, studying abroad much like Ema was.

"Madeline," Miles managed to say. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," she replied. Ema interrupted their awkward moment for a brief hug with the long-lost legal aide, chastising her for not visiting while she was in Europe. Eventually, the young scientist could see that the two wanted to be alone, so she quickly retreated to the other side of the grave. She fiddled with something in her bag while trying to look like she was not listening to the conversation between the pair.

"So, how have you been?" Madeline asked, smiling the same smile she'd had a year ago.

"Busy," he replied, sighing and looking at the ground. He just couldn't meet her gaze. "A lot of cases since you... departed."

They didn't talk about why she left. There was nothing to discuss. She'd left because she wanted more experience toward her own badge, and the only way to do that was to leave the country, going to where she'd previously begun her studies.

Madeline laughed. "Departed... you make it sound like I died! Anyway, I know about your cases, I've been reading the papers. You've had some pretty interesting adventures." Edgeworth prayed she wouldn't ask about Kay. It was ridiculously hard to lie to her, she could read him like a book. Thankfully, she dropped the subject. "So, I'm back in town now..." she said quietly, her large gray eyes still fixed on him, waiting to see how he would react. A small half-smile formed on her lips. "Is my position still open?" she asked teasingly. Edgeworth hesitated for a brief second and Madeline noticed. "Is it not?" she asked in slight surprise. The prosecutor weighed his options carefully. "If it's not, you can just tell me," Madeline said, raising an eyebrow.

He knew he couldn't refuse her. "No, it's fine. I'd like to have you at the office again."

She smiled, leaning up to kiss him. Even after she pulled away, their faces stayed close.

Ema's jaw dropped. How was the famous Mr. Edgeworth going to work his way out of this one?

"You haven't changed a bit," Madeline whispered in his ear.

"Neither have you," he murmured back. _But the situation sure has..._

They were interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. Ema had dropped her bag on the ground and was now frantically trying to retrieve the test tubes that were rolling around on the ground. Madeline quickly hurried around the hole to help, but it was too late. Two or three of the glass containers had already rolled into the grave, their rainbow-colored contents spilling all over the coffin and seeping through the lid.

"Well, that can't be good," Madeline said matter-of-factly, examining the damage.

"I'll say," Ema agreed, looking slightly worried. "Those chemicals were extremely unstable! There's no telling what they'll do when mixed." She peered into the uncovered hole, where the mixture appeared to be bubbling slightly, a visible gas rising. "Maybe we should back away, I'm not sure if those fumes are safe at all."

"Yeah, I actually have to get going," Madeline said with one more uncertain look at the hole. "I'll see you later." She flashed him that same uncertain yet alluring smile she'd had while working for him, then she disappeared, hurrying down the hill. Before she left, she turned and gave him one more small wave, then she was gone.

Edgeworth let out a deep sigh, unaware of Ema's presence next to him until she coughed.

"So," she began, a strange tone in her voice. "That was your legal aide, right? Madeline Brent?"

"Correct," he replied, knowing where it was leading. Ema had seen him kiss her; the look on her face was proof enough.

"But you're going out with Kay." Her words were forceful, filled with disappointment and some form of betrayal. "Mr Edgeworth, why would you let her kiss you?" After he didn't reply, she looked at the ground. "I didn't think you were like that."

"Ema, I know what you must think of me right now, but this isn't what it looks like," Edgeworth protested faintly. He realized then that he'd never truly ended things off with Madeline before she'd left, partly because he hadn't had the chance, but mostly because he didn't want to. And he still didn't. Seeing Madeline again... it ignited feelings and thoughts he hadn't had in a long time about her.

But at the same time, Kay appeared in his mind, her bright eyes and easy smile. It had been Kay that had helped him in Gatewater Land when he was trapped, and days later at the embassy with the culprit's perfume she'd kept for so long. Kay, who strived to uphold the Yatagarasu, despite all risks it posed, some that worried him. He knew he cared for the thief as well.

"So, what are you going to do, Mr. Edgeworth?" Ema asked, that note of reproach still evident in her voice. "I don't want to have to tell anybody, but you better sort this out soon."

He frowned as he watched Madeline get whisked away by another taxi. "I don't know, Ema."

The sky finally broke, and a torrential rainstorm began. Both the prosecutor and the student were quick to flee, leaving the grave site deserted.

* * *

It was only a few hours later that the impossible happened.

Due to the sudden heavy rain, the workers who had been assigned to fill the grave with soil had neglected to, leaving the coffin visible inside the hole. Just as water can get through wood, another substance had managed to seep through the coffin along with the rain, eventually dripping onto the occupant.

A moan and creak would have been heard coming from inside, had anybody been present. Since nobody was, the sound went unnoticed, only becoming more frequent and louder as time passed.

Suddenly, a pink-covered hand smashed through the lid of the coffin, and a figure rose from the black abyss of both grave and death, one word being echoed through its surroundings.

"WHIPPERSNAPPERS!"

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! **

**This is a collab with Diana Lily and Isabella and myself. This is what happens when you say something random regarding Ace Attorney and turn it into a story :) This is a zombie apocalypse (but with Oldbag), and includes Diana Lily and Isabella's OC, Madeline Brent! To learn more about Madeline, go check out the stories Diana's written for her! **

**Being that we both have different views on pairings regarding Edgeworth (I am a Kayworth fan), we're sure you'll be entertained by the silent (or not) arguments we're bound to have during this story :)  
**

**We don't know the ending. We don't know how anything will turn out. But this is possibly the hardest challenge our heros have to face; Oldbag. Oldbag everywhere.  
**

**~Clide  
**


	2. Burger Meat

**Hey guys, Diana here, one half of the legendary duo bringing you this fantastic story! I hope you guys are liking it so far, even though there's only been one chapter... Yeah. Don't forget to review, we love reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, Phoenix was cleaning the toilet, somewhat obsessively, when Maya's voice rang through the small office.

"Hey Nick, you should see this!"

Phoenix groaned and looked around half-heartedly for his assistant. He finally found her (surprise, surprise) parked in front of the television. "What is it, Maya?" he asked impatiently. "If this is another commercial for that Steel Samurai theme park you've been talking about, the answer is still no."

Maya glared at him. "Nick, this is much more important!"

The lawyer blinked. "Another Steel Samurai movie?" he guessed.

"No!"

"Well, I'm out of ideas," he informed her.

The medium sighed, gesturing to the television. "There's been a whole bunch of destruction around LA!"

Phoenix frowned, his curiosity awakened. "Oh? What from?"

Maya shrugged. "They don't know. But it looks like some buildings have been destroyed. Something happened at the graveyard too."

"Now that's just weird." He held back a laugh. "Zombie invasion?"

"Don't be silly, Nick. Zombies don't exist," Maya said firmly. "I should know, I'm a spirit medium. And if they did exist, it wouldn't be an invasion, because they're already living around us!" She lifted up her arms, pulling a distorted face.

Phoenix was not amused. "What does you being a spirit medium have to do with zombies?" the attorney asked.

Maya was quiet for a second. "Zombies, channeled spirits, they're practically the same thing when you don't think about it."

"They're really not," he muttered.

Maya sat up suddenly, eyes wide. "Oh my god, Nick!" she cried.

"What?! What is it?!" he demanded.

"Nick! We're out of meat! I can't make burgers tonight with no meat!" she said in dismay. She looked at him, her eyes gleaming.

"Is that really so bad?" he asked soothingly. "You should try something like salad for once, I mean, maybe you'd like it..."

Maya's glare forced the words back in his throat. "Are you calling me fat?!" she snapped, hands on hips.

Phoenix immediately cringed. "N-No! I mean... no! Er... I'll go get the meat, then." He quickly fetched his wallet from the table top, rushing about before another word could be said. He was intercepted at the door by a still angry Maya.

"I'm coming with you," she said firmly.

"Why?!" Phoenix almost cried. The last place he wanted to be was with Maya in a meat department.

"Because you might not buy the best meat, of course. Only the best for me, Nick," Maya replied cheerfully, skipping out the door. Her mood swings were incredible when food was involved. Phoenix sighed and followed her. It was going to be a long trip.

* * *

One hour and fifty dollars later, Phoenix and Maya were walking home. Maya was skipping ahead, swinging a sack of the highest quality burger meat in all of LA, while Phoenix was trudging behind, lamenting at his now-empty wallet. He was so busy moaning, he almost ran into his assistant, who had stopped.

"Nick..." she murmured. "Do you hear that?"

Phoenix looked around. They were about three blocks from his office and the street was deserted, but there was an oddly familiar sound echoing from an alley a few feet in front of them.

*RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA*

"That sound is eerily familiar," Phoenix muttered. "Only one person is capable of making such an annoying sound."

"No way. It's probably just somebody she worked with, right?" Maya said, forcing a laugh. "I mean, she's dead!"

"Yeah," Phoenix replied.

The two tentatively stepped forward, knowing they'd have to cross the alleyway sooner or later. Eventually their steps became smaller and smaller.

"Come'on," Phoenix muttered after a moment had passed. "There's no point just putting it off. Like we said, it's just a worker."

At last they were at the opening of the alleyway. Neither could help themselves, and both heads turned to look inside.

A giant, pink figure was staring back at them.

"Wh-What?!" Maya spluttered, freezing. "The Pink Badger?!"

The one in question cocked its head for a second before its arm raised, firing the object in its grasP.

*RATA-TATA-TATA-TATA*

"Ack!" Phoenix yelped as a laser shot past him, missing his spikes narrowly. "What the-?"

"It can't be!" Maya cried, stepping backwards in shock.

The Pink Badger approached them, stumbling forward. Immediately, the mascot's head fell off, revealing somebody else, somebody they hadn't expected to see for a long time.

Both Phoenix and Maya screamed before running for their lives. "This can't be happening!" Phoenix yelled.

"Who the heck gave her that ray gun?" Maya called back (she was already a good deal ahead of Phoenix). "That doesn't even go with that costume The Pink Badger is friendly and peace-loving!"

"Maya, *huff* I think *huff* that is the least *huff* of our worries right now," Phoenix panted. Just ahead of them, he could see the door to the office. They just had to get inside and everything would be alright... right?

He flung open the door, pulling Maya inside. He slammed it shut, fumbling with the key until somehow, he managed to lock it.

Maya breathed in a few times before speaking. "Is she still out there?" she asked, peering out the peephole.

The oldbag, who had been chasing them, was well away from the door. She was hunched down, almost as though she was eating something.

"My meat!" Maya cried in dismay when she recognised what it was. "Nick, she's eating my meat!" She went to open the door, But Phoenix pulled her back Quickly.

"Maya, are you out of your mind?!" he hissed. "Look, I'll buy you more meat when we get out of this mess." He inwardly groaned, not wanting to think of the toll it would Take on his wallet.

She paused before sighing. "So... now what do we do?"

"Well," Phoenix said slowly. "We call someone and tell them what's happening."

"Who, Edgeworth?" Maya asked.

"God, No!" Phoenix cried, taking the phone from Maya. "He'd never believe us. Besides, knowing him he'd be in a trial, like always. he doesn't need to know about this yet." He began dialing. "We call Gumshoe."

After three rings, which felt like an eternity to Phoenix, the detective finally picked up. "Hey, pal!" the cheery voice greeted.

"Gumshoe," was all Phoenix could manage to say.

There was a pause. "That's me, pal! You sound a little... odd. Are you alright?"

Somehow, the lawyer managed to laugh. "Well. We have a bit of a problem."

"Wait, is everybody okay, pal?" the detective demanded. "Nobody's hurt, are they?"

"Nothing like that." If it was a choice between having a broken leg or having Oldbag return from the grave, Phoenix was leaning towards the broken leg. "Look, you're going to think we're crazy," he began, the words tumbling out. "But... we've just seen Oldbag."

There was a longer pause this time. "I don't follow you pal," Gumshoe admitted. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Maya wanted meat to make burgers so we went out to get some and when we were heading home we saw her in an alleyway and she had a ray gun while dressed as the Pink Badger!" he replied in a rush.

There only silence.

"Gumshoe?" Phoenix asked nervously. "Hey, are you there?"

A rustling came from the other end before somebody spoke. "What's going on, Wright?"

Phoenix sighed. Oh boy, explaining to Edgeworth would be fun. "Hey, Edgeworth."

"I'd rather you didn't waste Detective Gumshoe's time, we're in the middle of an investigation right now. Not to mention the good detective has limited minutes," the prosecutor informed him. "Your blabberings can wait until later."

"No, wait!" Phoenix yelled, making Maya jump. "This is serious Edgeworth! Look, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we saw Oldbag!"

"...Excuse me?" Miles asked. "Did it slip your mind that she died? Her funeral was yesterday!"

"Yeah, bu-"

"I expected this sort of foolishness from Larry, but not you, Wright," Edgeworth droned, sighing. "I'll leave you to your stories."

"No! Edgeworth!" Phoenix yelled. After hearing that he hadn't hung up, he breathed in. "Look, I'm serious. Maya and I saw her, and now she's outside the office eating burger meat! That cost me fifty dollars, I'll have you know!" Phoenix's voice was taking a turn for the hysterical.

"Wright," Edgeworth replied, voice now low and a great deal more serious. "Your sense of humour is as bad as your hair. You've known both me and..." There was a Pause and a shudder. "That creature... long enough to know that this is not something you joke about. Not around me. Furthermore, she is dead. This is possibly the least convincing story your unimaginative mind could have come up with. And looking back on your stories during trials, that's saying something. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to be doing." There was a beep and the call was disconnected.


	3. Introductions

The news never stopped coming in.

In those few days, the only things one would find when they turned on the television or opened a newspaper were the constant reports of destruction around the city. At first it was limited to the small overturnings of ordinary items, like mailboxes and park benches. But as time progressed, it grew worse. Whole buildings were ransacked, every valuable item destroyed completely. Cars were flipped, whole sections of concrete cracked. It was getting out of control fast.

The worst thing was that the police we no closer to finding their culprit than they were when starting off the investigation.

"I just don't get it, sir," Gumshoe announced again, observing the destruction of the street around him in disbelief.

It pained Edgeworth to feel just as clueless as the detective. "There must be something here; there is no such thing as the perfect crime, detective. There is always evidence, no matter how small."

"The thing that I don't get is the motive, pal! Why would anybody do this to a perfectly good place; it's just useless to everyone now. My favourite place to buy noodles was broken into last night, too! Now what'll I eat?" He was becoming more and more upset.

"I'm sure you'll find something, Detective," the prosecutor replied absentmindedly. Kay had just arrived, jumping happily into the scene. His eyes followed the self-proclaimed thief, until she arrived at their side.

"Sorry I'm late! Have we stolen any truth yet?" she demanded, grinning widely.

"I'm afraid not."

"Drat, I was sure the third day would be lucky," she muttered. She suddenly brightened up. "But don't worry! We're bound to find something, right? What about witnesses?"

"Nobody's come forward, pal," Gumshoe replied sadly. "We've asked around, but nobody knows what's happening, or so they claim."

Her arms folded. "Come on, that's impossible. _Somebody_ must have seen _something_."

For the briefest moment, Miles' thoughts drifted back to the phone call he'd received from Wright and Maya. Wright had sounded so genuinely panicked that the prosecutor had almost been convinced that he'd been telling some sort of truth. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind; it had been their foolish attempt at a joke, ill-mannered at that. It had nothing to do with the situation at hand.

"_No motive, no crime,_" sang Gumshoe, shattering his thoughts. "_Oh, no motive, no crime._"

"Detective, what are you going on about? There is clearly a crime here!" Edgeworth interrupted, gesturing to the wreckage around them before a second verse could begin. "The motive is unknown for now, but unless the one responsible is mentally unstable then it's safe to assume that there is one."

He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "You're right, but I thought I would try to focus on the motive, you know? Since we don't have any other evidence and all. There're no hair strands, fingerprints... you name it, it's not here, or at any other crime scene either."

"Especially with fingerprints, it wouldn't really help. How many ordinary people a day would have touched a place in the crime scene?" Kay pointed out. "It's weird that none have been recorded though."

A thought struck Edgeworth. "But some of the places where there have been attacks were sealed off to the public beforehand, so fingerprints _would_ be useful. But there are none. No hairs either. It's as if..."

He couldn't bring himself to suggest it. There was no way the culprit was concealed in a familiar, bright pink badger suit. Completely preposterous.

"They could have used gloves, very easily. Anyway, how do we even know it's a person doing this?" a new voice cut in. "Given the magnitude and very wide range of the destruction, wouldn't some sort of machine be much more likely? Or explosives?" Madeline was walking down the street toward them, heels clicking on the battered pavement, brushing hair out of her grey eyes. She frowned, surveying the damage before coming any closer.

"But a machine would be near impossible to miss, pal. And why would any witnesses hide that? Also, from looking at the damage it doesn't look like any explosives were involved." The detective suddenly did a double take. "Hold on a sec, pal! I know you!" he burst out, grinning widely. "What are you...?"

Madeline smiled, but continued. "You can't really suggest that a single person did all this though, can you?" she stated, joining the trio, a skeptical look on her face. "That's impossible; just look at everything!" She turned to the detective, still smiling. "And it's nice to see you too, Detective."

"So, who's this?" Kay asked. "We haven't met before, right? I'm Kay Faraday, otherwise known as the Great Yatagarasu!"

Madeline looked at the young thief appraisingly. "I don't think we've met, no," she replied. "I'm Madeline Brent. I'm Prosecutor Edgeworth's assistant; I do legal work for him."

Kay's expression faulted ever so slightly. "O-Oh, really?"

Madeline's friendly smile never wavered. "Yes, I've been out of the country getting my badge for about a year or so."

That would explain why Kay hadn't heard of her before now, she thought. She played with her scarf between her fingers. "So you have your badge now?"

Madeline pulled a shiny gold object from her jacket pocket and held it out for Kay to examine. "Yes, I finished my studies in Germany last month."

"Wow, nice job!" Kay said, smiling again. She couldn't ignore that little feeling in the pit of her stomach, the one that can instantly ruin a day despite all else. Looking at the woman, she seemed kind enough. It didn't stop a feeling of uneasiness from drifting over her. She fumbled around in her bag until she found her phone, checking the screen. "Oh."

"What is it, pal?"

"I've gotta go, Uncle Badd and I were going to meet up," she lied. She looked at Edgeworth, debating whether or not to kiss him. For some reason, she decided against it. "I'll see you guys later, keep me updated on any news, okay?"

"We will be sure to do that," Edgeworth replied.

Kay nodded to them all. "It was nice meeting you, Madeline," she told the woman before turning around, making her way down the street, the cracks on the pavement and the overturned cars impossible to ignore on her way.

* * *

It was pathetic.

Why was she getting so worked up over such a small thing?

So what if he'd had other assistants, or one at least. He was a busy man; of course he would have hired help at some point or another in his career. It was only natural, wasn't it?

That's what the rational part of her mind said. The other part, the completely unreasonable yet impossible to ignore part, was winning.

_Why hadn't he mentioned her?_

Why hadn't he made any comments about this 'Madeline Brent' during their investigations? Was he purposely hiding her for another reason? The thought was stuck in her mind hard, and caused a panic to rise within her.

"Come on," she told herself. "You're being stupid right now."

_But think about it._ _She's a lot more useful, isn't she? She actually has a law degree, she seems pretty smart... who wouldn't want an assistant like that? He actually hired her! You just dropped in out of the blue, he was stuck with you._

Kay groaned, unable to walk any further. Looking back, she saw that she was far enough that she could no longer see the other three. She took a seat on the deserted pathway, head in hands. The realisation hit her hard.

She was jealous. Completely and utterly jealous.

"But you shouldn't be, right?" she told herself. "You've barely turned 18 and look what you've already done; you helped take down an international smuggling ring. You're the second Yatagarasu! And right now, you're Miles Edgeworth's assistant, and more. If he was really that sick of you, he would have removed you from all the crime scenes, or asked to conduct the embassy investigation without you. He wouldn't have let you come help him in investigations since then, either. It doesn't matter who Madeline is. She _was_ his assistant, but she left. And even if she's back now, it doesn't mean that you can't continue being his assistant. So stop sulking and make the Yatagarasu proud."

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She relaxed and rose, suddenly feeling childish for her near break down. At the same time, she knew that it would have continued to bother her unless she hadn't of thought things through properly. She continued to walk, spirits lifted.

Everything would be alright.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! Clide here, doing the author's note because Diana foolishly allowed me to without checking it before I upload! So guys, ship Kayworth. Yep, that's all I have to say ;)**

…**oh, fine then. Ship whatever you want :P  
**

**Oh, and I hope you're enjoying the story, because we love every single moment of writing it!**


	4. Uncertainty

"Niiiick!"

Head falling to his disarray desk, the lawyer inwardly groaned, hand running through his spikes.

It had been a week and a half since Maya and himself had witnessed the Oldbag just outside their office, chewing contently on the finest burger meat Los Angeles had to offer after trying to shoot them with her ray gun. The two had since hoarded themselves inside, not daring to leave in case they should stumble across her again.

The destruction around the city was getting worse. The reports of the damage were becoming more frequent by the hour, the danger so bad that half of the citizens had already left.

It had been too long without contact with the outside world.

Too long sitting in fear

And far, far too long with Maya constantly requesting one thing over and over.

"_Niiick_!"

"Yes?" he replied weakly, lifting his head slightly to view his assistant.

Maya was a mess. Her eyes were slightly red, her hair tangled and overall, she wasn't the usual girl he'd come to know. "Are you completely, positively certain that there was nothing?! At all?!" she pleaded. "C'mon, Nick, there had to be something."

"Unless you wanted to make a burger out of fish, Maya, there is nothing in the freezer," he told her, voice softening slightly.

The spirit medium's sudden cut-off to her favourite food had been taxing for both of them. The first two days were bearable; she'd made a few offhand comments about them, laughing it off easily, or so it seemed. He had noted that she seemed tenser, more on edge. Everything after that had been worse than facing the Oldbag herself. Maya had screamed, whined, and on more than one occasion completely burst into tears.

If this was how she was like in less than two weeks, than Phoenix shuddered to think what Pearls had to go through when they were in Kurain.

"Fish." Maya pulled a face. "Nick, I miss burgers. I-I should have told them more before we left them. L-Like how beautiful and t-tasty they were, and how much I loved th-them." A single tear trailed down her cheek. "What i-if I never see them ag-again?"

Phoenix stared at her. It had finally happened; Maya had snapped, talking about how she regretted not complimenting _food _of all things.

"It'll be okay, Maya," he told her in what he hoped was a comforting voice. "Just take a few deep breaths. I'm sure you'll get a burger soon." He patted her on the back awkwardly.

The situations they were getting themselves into just kept getting weirder and weirder.

* * *

On the other side of the city, three people were on the top floor of the Prosecutors' Building, slowly getting through the paperwork and other files they'd neglected over the course of a few days. Gumshoe was standing on the stepladder, making sure to order the files correctly. He didn't need a salary-cut, not when there was already so much he needed to pay for already.

Edgeworth was the one filling out the forms, pen slipping more often than he'd have liked. After passing a few more folders to Gumshoe, the thief had peered of his shoulder, sighing.

"You've made a mistake there," she informed him, pointing to a section on the form.

"...I don't see a mistake," he replied.

She crossed her arms. "Well, there is one. Actually, wait... maybe it's just that your handwriting is worse than Gummy's today." She leant towards it, squinting slightly.

Looking down at the page, Edgeworth couldn't exactly rebut the point. Under all the stress of the unsolved case, it did seem as though any attempt at keeping the files orderly was lost. In the end, the files showed only the little amount of progress they'd made in the case, and were unpleasant to be dealing with.

"That was mean, pal," Gumshoe told her, slumping forward.

"But a valid point," Miles added. "If it pleases you then Kay, I'll work to keep my writing neater in the future."

She sighed, extending her hand. "C'mon, hand some of the forms over. It'll be done faster if I help."

"There's really no nee-"

"If you didn't mind sleeping here then you'd be right," she teased. "Just look at all of them!" She snatched up a few, sitting down next to him. "The Yatagarasu is multi-talented, you know! Filling out forms is easy."

"I suppose you've seen me do it enough times to know how," he agreed. "Thank you, Kay. Your help is appreciated."

As Gumshoe slid the files into their designated places on the shelf, he smiled slightly to himself. The two wouldn't have noticed, but they'd become synched in the tedious task. Little things like the moments they'd take a quick stretch were at the same time, as well as starting on another form. As strange as the concept was, it seemed more like there was one person there instead of two.

Without warning, the door to the office opened and Madeline entered, holding a case file Her steps faltered for a moment as she saw Kay and Edgeworth sitting so close to each other, but she continued in, setting the case file on the edge of Edgeworth's desk and forcing a smile on her face. "Hello Miles, Kay, Gumshoe," she said cheerfully. "Need any help?"

"No, thank you Madeline, I think we're about done here," Edgeworth told her, looking at the greatly diminished stack of forms.

"Yeah, we make a great team!" Kay said enthusiastically. Madeline didn't miss the way Edgeworth's eyes softened when he looked at the young thief, or the way his lips curved up into that faint smile that she'd used to know so well.

"Oh, okay," she said, still smiling, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Well, in that case, I think I'll head out, if you have nothing else you'd like me to do...?" Her voice trailed off, the hint of a question at the end.

Edgeworth looked around the office. "I think we're fine here," he said. "Thank you."

"Sure," she replied, nodding. "Well, I guess I'll see you all tomorrow." Everyone offered their own quiet goodbyes as she left the office.

Madeline walked out rather reluctantly and climbed down the twelve flights of stairs to the ground floor. She'd gotten used to taking stairs, even when she was abroad, she'd never taken an elevator. As she reached the plaza outside the office, she shaded her eyes from the setting sun and looked up at the twelfth floor, trying to pick out Edgeworth's window. She could barely make out a figure standing at one of the windows, but it was impossible to tell who it was.

The young legal assistant walked a bit farther, eventually stopping and sitting on a bench. It struck her as odd that this was the one area of town without destruction. But she knew she was just thinking idly to keep her mind off the real problem.

_Could it be possible?_ _ I mean, it's entirely understandable for him to have hired a new assistant, but... Is there more going on that he's not telling me?_

Madeline sighed, running a hand through her hair. _We never really broke things off before I left, did we? Believe me, there's not a day that goes by that I wish I didn't leave, but I had to. He knows that, right?_

She bit her lip impatiently. _Why am I questioning this so much? He wouldn't ever keep something like that from me. I know he wouldn't... But, she is cute. And she seems funny and smart. Someone he probably would be attracted to. And he does seem to spend a lot of time with her... But he wouldn't, or he would at least tell me about it, especially since we..._

She shook her head. _No. There's no way he would continue this with me and have a relationship with another girl at the same time. Right?_

A twinge of uncertainty began to form inside her. _But what if he really is... you know? I don't think I'll be able to just let this go. I need to know. _In her heart, she knew that eventually she would have to confront Edgeworth about the situation.

And honestly, she wasn't quite sure if everything would be alright.

* * *

With an air of satisfaction surrounding him, Edgeworth handed the last completed piece of paperwork to Gumshoe, who slid it into its designated file and onto the shelf.

"I'm glad that's over," Kay commented, smiling slightly. "How do you even do this so often? It's just so..."

"Tedious?" he guessed.

"...boring," she finished.

"Well, I used to have... help," Edgeworth said quietly, looking out the window behind him and watching Madeline's figure disappear in the dark. He felt a tiny prick of guilt at how he'd treated her just now, brushing her off as though she wasn't necessary, when really, she'd handled this kind of thing for him for a long time.

It was then that the gravity of the situation really sunk in, the wrongness of what he was doing. He couldn't help it; he loved them both, and there was no way he could live without either of them in his life. It really wasn't fair to them, though, to play with both of their hearts like this. But how was he supposed to tell them what he'd done?

"I'll drive Kay home, Detective. Will you be finished soon?" Edgeworth asked.

"Sure will, I'll just make sure everything's in the right place then I'll be going," Gumshoe replied. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

As the door closed, he stepped down from the ladder, brushing down his coat. It wasn't much longer before he himself could go home to Maggey, and hopefully have a peaceful night where he wouldn't be called in to work. The likelihood of it actually happening was low, but the thought was nice.

He groaned suddenly, realising that he hadn't organised the last file properly. Climbing back up the ladder, he looked around for a moment, sighing when he didn't see it on the shelf.

"Oh, Mr Edgeworth's gonna get me for this one, pal," he muttered to himself, looking at the shelf below it, then to the far left.

He felt the ladder rock.

Then falling down.

And at last, hitting the office floor with a loud thud.

His ears were ringing when he finally regained his senses properly. Groaning, he cradled his head with his hands, already feeling the bump. He wouldn't be getting that peaceful evening for sure, he noted as a shot of pain ran through it as he gently touched it.

"Don't you know how to even climb a ladder properly, whippersnapper!" a harsh voice snapped. "Why, back in my day men could do all sorts of things, like juggle while riding a horse, but these days they can't even do the simplest things right! Honestly, they think they can just leave it to the women to do it all, and that isn't right! But my Edgey-poo on the other hand..."

The voice continued on and on, getting louder. It was only making his headache worse. Gumshoe sat up further, eyes flickering open. His throat closed up, a gagging noise trying to make its way through his lips. No, it couldn't be.

Pink Badgers crowded the room, each one with the same voice that was ranting about a different topic. His eyes scanned the room in absolute terror as the badgers slowly made their way towards him, forcing him to cower against the bookcase.

"Wh-What! Pal... what!?" It was all he could get out before his hands covered his ears, and he charged through the load of badgers. He could faintly hear the cries of '_whippersnapper!' _and he ran through the hallway, only stopping to slam the door behind him, containing the monstrosity.

He managed to stumble into the elevator and hit the bottom for the first floor before he managed to calm down, even just slightly.

His stomach dropped when he realised what he'd just done.

He'd locked a crowd of Oldbags dressed as badgers inside his boss's office.


	5. A Dream

"I'm sorry you had to-... I mean, I didn't realize that they'd changed the locks in this place since I'd been... gone."

Madeline looked at her feet in embarrassment as Edgeworth retrieved the keys to his office from inside his briefcase. She'd forgotten her phone inside the office, and her clever plan to sneak in and retrieve it herself had been foiled by a changed lock.

"I really didn't want you to have to come all the way back here," she murmured, frowning. In truth, she knew that this incident – although it was quite mortifying – wasn't why she was shying away from him tonight. Something else was on Madeline's mind and she honestly didn't think she would ever have any peace until she laid it out in the open. "Miles?" she ventured, hesitantly laying a hand on his arm. "Can I ask you something?"

Something in her voice caused Edgeworth to pause, hand on the doorknob, and turn to face her. "Of course," he replied. "What is it?" He noticed she was twisting her hands together, a tell she displayed only when nervous.

"I just-" Madeline couldn't bring herself to say it, almost choking on her own words. She realized the risk she was taking - if she was wrong, it could jeopardize her relationship with him forever. But if she was right...

Edgeworth said nothing, waiting for her to continue. "I just..." she tried again, trailing off this time. Madeline took a deep breath, steadied herself, and decided to just spit it out. "Miles, I want to know if there's something-"

Before she even finished the sentence, he'd turned back to the door, fiddling with his keys some more and decidedly avoiding her eyes. Her hand dropped from his arm and she looked down at the ground again, biting her lip uncomfortably.

At last, the sounds of the door unlocking were heard in the corridor. Just before he opened it, Edgeworth hesitated, lips turning downwards.

"Madeline, can you hear that?" he asked, leaning towards the door slightly.

Before she could respond, the door shot open, sending the man stumbling backwards. He crashed to the floor with a loud thud, a small groan following.

Madeline let out a small shriek, dropping to her knees beside Edgeworth. "Are you alright?!" she asked frantically, checking for any major injuries. Nothing appeared to be any more serious than a few bumps and bruises, so she turned her attention toward the door, now swinging ominously.

Slowly, Edgeworth sat up, hand cupping the back of his head as he looked around him in a slight daze. "What happened?" he muttered, staring at the door in surprise. "Who...?"

"Shhh!" Madeline said, waving a hand in front of his face. "There's someone inside." She craned her neck, trying to see through the shadows. "More than one person, by the looks of it."

Despite Madeline's whispered protests, Edgeworth rose unsteadily to his feet, peering into the darkened room. "Detective?" he offered, though he was barely convinced himself.

A small, excited giggle erupted from the room, soon followed by another, and another. Madeline and Edgeworth stood frozen as the noises increased, becoming unbearable.

He couldn't say for sure, but Edgeworth felt as though there was something familiar about the ominous cackling. "Who are you and what are you doing in my office?" he demanded.

Madeline rolled her eyes. "Miles, for a genius, there are some times when I think..." She sighed. "Whoever it is, they're not going to answer. At least, from that awful sound, we'd better hope they don't."

Another bout of laughter came from the room. "But we'd respond to _anything _Edgey-poo says!" a voice told her, giggling madly like a schoolgirl. "And what's it to you anyway, whippersnapper? You think my sounds are awful? Well I'll have you know, back in my day I was seen as a beautiful singer! People would travel far and wide to hear a second of my voice, the most talented musicians wanting to accompany me in songs! You don't believe me?! Well-"

The tirade continued, but was lost in the sound of a strangled 'Nnngoohh!'. Madeline turned just in time to witness Edgeworth back up again the wall, eyes wide. He slumped to the ground, hands over his ears.

"-and you know, I was almost given a record deal! But no, those silly m3ps of whatever you whippersnappers call them weren't fit to capture the sound of my voice!"

"It can't be..." he groaned, trying to shake himself from the nightmare. "No, she's dead!"

Madeline's mouth fell open. "No..." she protested weakly. "This can't be happening..."

"What can't be happening? You don't think an old lady like me can survive death?" the voices all snapped as one. To the horror of both prosecutors, the figures stepped out of the shadows, advancing towards them. "Oh, but Edgey-poo knew I'd come back!" they all chanted in unison. "He missed me dearly!"

"Pink... Badgers?" Madeline asked in confusion, taking in the odd costume. It took Edgeworth a minute to remember that she hadn't been with him during the fiasco at Gatewater Land, and had also missed seeing the old bag in her coffin, dressed in the ridiculous attire.

That didn't matter right now. Managing to haul himself up again, he grabbed a hold of her wrist. "We should go," he rushed, looking around them.

"But if we leave now, they're just going to follow us- you," Madeline reminded him, looking him up and down, a glint in her eye. Edgeworth knew that expression - his former assistant only looked like that when she had a plan. Her left hand delved into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out his badge. She looked at it for a second, then taking a second longer than necessary, switched it to her right hand and held it up for all the Oldbags to see.

"Look!" she called, waving it around. Edgeworth understood what she was going to do a moment before she did it, but it was too late. His badge left her fingers, flying through the open door into the office and clattering on the floor near the bookshelves, which were already in a mess.

The terrifying creatures quickly followed it and Edgeworth could only watch mutely as Madeline took his keys as well, closed the door, locked it, and started running down the hall.

"Madeline!" he called, sprinting after her. She refused to answer until they were safely in his car. He frowned, imagining his badge in the office with the old bags. It made him feel slightly sick, and he didn't dare to look up to where his office was located.

As they were stopped at a red light, Madeline could see his despondent expression in the mirror, and she smirked, looking out the window before digging around in her pocket and setting a Prosecutor's Badge on the center console of the car. He looked at it, trying to comprehend what had just occurred.

"That's yours," she told him helpfully, pushing it toward him a little more.

Edgeworth picked it up, running his thumb over the familiar inscription on the back, and then looked at Madeline in confusion. "But then, what did-" It finally dawned on him. "You threw yours."

She nodded, pressing her lips together firmly and resuming her blank stare out the window. "Yes, I did," she replied.

"But you just got it."

"Yes."

"And you threw it."

"Yes."

"To the Oldbags."

"Yes."

"You're not going to get that back."

Her temper finally flared. "Look, it was either throw a badge or get eaten, and I know how much yours means to you. I wouldn't do that."

Edgeworth abruptly pulled over to the side of the road and Madeline looked surprised. "What-"

Her question was cut off as he kissed her, long and sweet, as cars zoomed by them, with a single Prosecutor's Badge under their entwined fingers.

And that was when Madeline decided that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.

* * *

"Aww, come'on, Gummy."

It wasn't Kay's first attempt at cheering up her best pal. Most of the day had consisted of it, him telling her that he was fired for sure, and her retorting that of course that wasn't the case.

There weren't many people left in Los Angeles. The majority had left within the last day, when the happenings of the city were becoming too bizarre without explanation for the population to handle. Even Maggey had gone, further ruining Gumshoe's usually-cheerful mood.

"Pal, I'm done. I'll get fired for sure after this."

She raised an eyebrow, sighing. She hadn't wanted it to come to this, but she didn't have much of a choice. The thief was only _just _willing to sacrifice her favourite treat to put her friend in a better mood.

After a moment of searching, she pulled out a swiss roll from her bag, pushing it over towards him. "Go halves?"

Gumshoe sniffed, and after a moment smiled slightly. "Y-Yeah, I'd like that, pal. Thanks."

As he was chewing on his share - the bigger half, since she was feeling generous - she tried again. "Look, you've been working really hard this week, Gummy. You probably didn't actually see it. Odds are it was just a really, really weird dream."

"But... it was so _real_," he replied, mouth full.

"Dreams can be like that sometimes," she told him comfortingly. "I... I used to have these really bad ones of Miss Yew, when she had the gun the day dad died. They seemed so real..." She trailed off for a moment, before shaking her head vigorously, bringing her back to the topic at hand. "But anyway! There is no way you locked a bunch of people in Pink Badger suits in his office!"

The detective shook his head in reply. "They weren't just any people, pal! It was Miss Oldbag, like she was at Gatewater Land! It was like Mr Wright said!"

"You're a bit too creative sometimes, Gummy," she told him, grinning. "She's _dead_. We were at her funeral, remember?"

Hesitating for a moment, Gumshoe eventually sighed. "You're right, pal, I'm overreacting. It must have been a dream; this case must be getting to me, huh?"

"It's getting to all of us. Don't worry."

She smiled when her phone began to ring, humming along to the Jammin' Ninja theme as she searched her pouch for it. "Hello?"

"Kay? It's Miles. We... have a slight problem."

"Huh? What is it?" the thief asked, frowning. "Has something come up in the case?"

"...You could say that, yes. Are you with Gumshoe currently? Madeline and I think it would be best if we met up with both of you."

"What's happened?"

"I... feel that I should warn you beforehand that what I am about to inform you of you sounds absolutely ludicrous. However, I am telling the truth."

"It can't be that bad," Kay laughed, ignoring the feeling of unease creeping through her.

There was silence on the other end of the line, until she heard a faint sigh. "Upon unlocking the door to my office, Madeline and I were shocked to find that there were a few interesting guests present. Guests we were hardly expecting."

Meeting Gumshoe's eyes, Kay spoke. "Um... what sort of guests?"

"A least a dozen Pink Badgers. It was, quite frankly, a horrifying sight."

"P-Pink Badgers?" Kay managed to squeak out, avoiding Gumshoe's gaze. At that point, she was certain his head had fallen to the table in distress. "Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely positive, Kay. I could never mistake... her."

"H-Her? You don't mean...?"

There was another sigh, this one closer to a shudder. "I do. It was her. Without a doubt."

"I... okay. But why do we need to meet you and Madeline?"

"We all need to work together. Seeing these... creatures in my office has made me think that they are behind the destruction in the city. None of it had begun until after her funeral. We're not sure how she managed to multiply, or rise from the dead for that matter, but... we're afraid there might be more of them."

The situation seemed so unbelievable. But hearing it from Edgeworth's own mouth made her believe that it wasn't the case; it actually was happening, as crazy as it was. He would never joke about such a matter, especially if the old bag was involved.

"Where should we meet?"

There was a slight pause and Kay could hear murmuring as Edgeworth and Madeline talked it over. Finally, Edgeworth said, "I think we should head over to Wright's office."

"Okay. Gummy and I will meet you there." Hesitating a moment, she lowered her voice. "I love you."

There was a pause, and for a moment, her heart seemed to stop. "You too," he replied quietly, voice softer. "We'll see you soon."

Lowering the phone, Kay slowly turned to Gumshoe, who had his head in his hands.

"I was right, wasn't I pal?" he muttered. "They were really there... they've probably ruined his entire office. This is all my fault."

"Don't feel bad; Miles doesn't know that, and he doesn't need to." Sighing, she pulled him up, handing him her untouched half of the swiss roll. "We have bigger things to worry about than a few torn up law books or a ruined Steel Samurai figure."


	6. Revealed

The area around them was deserted, a sight that both Kay and Gumshoe appreciated for the first time in weeks. Now that they knew what really lay out there in waiting, they both kept their eyes peeled for any sign of moment that could indicate they weren't alone.

Climbing into the detective's battered old car, Kay scanned the area around them. "I really hope we get a clear path to the office," she muttered.

"I just hope my car can take it," Gumshoe replied. After receiving her shocked look, he explained. "It was... sort of due for a maintenance check last month, but I couldn't afford it. It hasn't been too bad since then, but..."

The thief opened her mouth to ask exactly what his definition of 'too bad' was, but quickly closed it. She was better off not knowing, and only a small bit of relief ran through her when the engine started, though a little jumpy.

The first few miles went without any problems. While Gumshoe kept his eyes on the road, Kay was looking everywhere else for any sign of pink, and listening out for the dreadful call of 'whippersnappers!'. As they got halfway to the office, she allowed herself to relax.

Just because they were out there, it didn't mean they would aim for a car speeding along the highway, even if said car was almost falling apart. They Oldbags didn't know that, though, and they didn't need to.

Suddenly, as the highway ended, they heard a dull thud on the roof. Both occupants froze, hearts hammering.

"What was that?" Gumshoe asked nervously, grip tightening on the steering wheel.

_It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean anything_, Kay chanted over and over in her mind, though she couldn't quite convince herself. She began to wind down the window, ignoring Gumshoe's protests, and after undoing her seatbelt craned her neck to try and get a better view. A small shriek escaped her as she was met with a giant Pink Badger's head.

"_Whippersnapper!"_ the figure shrieked, using its arms to pull her upwards roughly. "_Don't the youth of today know that riding in an automobile is a privilege and not a right? And you don't even have the common sense to wear your seatbelt and be careful about it! The recklessness!"_

"Get off me!" Kay yelled, struggling to escape the grip the Oldbag had on her scarf. She was being pulled further towards the figure.

"_And then you have the nerve to poke your head up out of the car, like you're some superstar celebrity! Well I'll tell you what, I won't be crying at your funeral when you fall out on the pavement! I'll be saying 'I told you so, you rebellious whippersnapper!'"_

As she twisted and turned, she heard a strangled yell from the driver's seat beside her. She looked over in horror to see another Oldbag pulling Gumshoe by the collar of his worn jacket. She felt the car lurch sickeningly as his hands lost contact with the steering wheel, his feet barely touching the pedals. Immediately Kay knew what she had to do.

She pulled herself backwards with all her strength, and without warning her scarf flew out the window, causing the terrifying figure holding it to follow. Then she climbed with some difficulty over the centre console to Gumshoe, tugging against the bony hand underneath the badger suit that was trying to pull him to his doom. She had to pry each finger off the poor detective's collar individually, but eventually, the hand retreated. Gumshoe and Kay fell back into their seats, utterly exhausted. Neither of them said a word. A moment later Gumshoe straightened up, taking control of the car again.

Both were breathing deeply. Though Kay knew the Oldbag on her side had toppled onto the road, the one on her friend's had only drawn back. Surely the Oldbag wouldn't give up that easily. A glance back to the road behind them told her that her assumption was correction; there was no Pink Badger.

"Gummy," she said quietly. "It's still on the car."

"I know, pal," he replied. He looked over at her sadly. "I just don't know what to do about it."

Peering into the back seat, Kay noticed a slight flash of pink coming from the left side window. "She's on your side, Gummy," she informed him. Her heart thudded faster when she noticed it move. "We have to get rid of it, we can't let it lead the others to us."

Gumshoe stayed silent for a moment as Kay kept a close eye on the badger. "I... I have an idea, pal. I just hope it doesn't destroy my car completely. Put your seatbelt back on."

The thief did as she was told, looking up at him curiously.

Suddenly, Gumshoe turned the wheel sharply to the left, causing the car to veer off the road and head towards a brick wall. Kay let out a small shriek, covering her eyes with her hands. This was it. They were going to die. It was all over.

She felt the car turn slightly, then collide briefly with something on its side, causing it to shake. And after that terrifying second, she felt them turn again, back onto a smoother path.

"It's gone, pal," Gumshoe said after a quick check. "...So's my door handle, mirror and a lot of paint. It sounds like the engine's struggling too."

Opening her eyes, Kay's hand covered her mouth. "Gummy... your car..." she said, voice shaking.

"It's fine," he replied, though his voice was slightly downcast. "I mean... it's better my car get ruined than us, right? If I hadn't of done that, it might have... well, you know."

Kay nodded. "Yeah."

Both occupants quietly accepted the fate as the car slowed to the stop, the toll too much for it to take. They could only be thankful that, just up ahead, were the Wright and Co. Law Offices.

* * *

"They should have been here by now," Edgeworth muttered, staring out the window of the office at the desolate skyline of Los Angeles, barely visible in the darkness.

"Miles, don't worry," Madeline told him, curled on the couch with a blanket draped around her shoulders, her gray eyes still haunted by what they'd seen barely an hour ago. "From what I've seen of Kay, she can take care of herself. While Gumshoe may be a little scatterbrained he wouldn't give up even if they were surrounded by the Oldbags."

Edgeworth nodded, noticing her hand continually finding its way to her now-empty pocket, fingers clenching on air, a tiny frown creasing her lips each time.

Phoenix and Maya were doing little to help the situation. Maya had practically knocked Madeline to the ground to get at a bag of cookies that the woman had stashed in her purse, while Phoenix had deliriously spilled to Edgeworth the entire story of his hardships inside the office with Maya, including the time when she was convinced that the table was a giant burger and tried to gnaw one of the legs off. Now everyone was huddled in a corner, waiting for the end, or for help to come; whichever arrived first.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Every occupant in the room froze, inhaling a sharp breath.

"Do you think it's them?" Phoenix asked after a few seconds of silence.

"It could be, or one of the hundreds of Oldbags out there," Maya replied, still munching on a cookie, its taste being just enough to satisfy her need for food.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Madeline said grimly, getting up and throwing the blanket off, marching over to the door that lead to the hallway. Edgeworth appeared in front of her.

"No, Madeline. I'll answer it," he told her. "If it's the Oldbags, then... well..."

"It's you they want," Phoenix joked. Even after receiving two ice cold stares, his smile didn't shift. "Well, it's the truth. I still remember the first time she was a witness and stated all the mushy 'Edgey-Poo' stuff. Your reaction was priceless."

"I'll answer it," Edgeworth repeated, ignoring Phoenix's comments. "I'll handle it, Madeline, you sit back down. You've had a rough day."

She opened her mouth, clearly intending to argue, but before she could respond, he left them, entering the hallway.

He slowly approached the door, unable to tell who it was on the other side. Hesitantly, he gripped the keys, turning them slightly to hear a low clicking sound.

Suddenly, the door shot open, and he found himself staggering backwards. He looked down to find Kay's arms around his middle, head buried in his chest. He could feel her shaking slightly.

Gumshoe followed in after her. "Hi, sir," he said, deflated.

"Detective," Edgeworth said quietly as he shut the door, ensuring it was locked. His own arms wrapped around the thief. "What happened?"

"We got halfway here, but two of them latched onto the car," Gumshoe began. "They almost dragged us out, pal! Kay just managed to escape herself before helping me... and then my car got ruined getting rid of the last one."

"Go into the inner office and tell everybody that you're here," Edgeworth suggested. "We were concerned that it may have been… _them_, instead." After the detective left, the prosecutor looked down at the thief. "Are you alright?"

She loosened her hold on him, meeting his eyes. "Yeah. Sort of." She managed a small smile. "Just... I thought Gummy and I were going to die. I really, really thought it was the end."

Edgeworth shook his head. "But you got here, and according to the detective, it was you who saved him. A million things could have happened, however you're still here." He frowned, noticing something was different. "Where's your scarf?"

"When I got rid of the Oldbag, it was holding on to it," she said. "So it's probably on the road, ruined by now." She sighed, looking down. "It had my Yatagarasu badge on it."

He felt his stomach drop. He knew how much that badge had meant to her; it was a daily reminder of what she was doing and why she was doing it. She'd so carefully made it herself, and to see it stolen away must have hurt her more than she'd admit. Like a part of her was missing too.

In a way, like Madeline's prosecutor's badge.

"You're still the Yatagarasu. You don't need a badge to prove it."

The statement caused her to smile slightly. Standing on her toes, she drew up just enough to press a kiss to his lips, lingering for a drawn out moment.

From the doorway to the inner office, a pair of gray eyes widened and a hand flew to a mouth. "I knew it," Madeline whispered so neither person by the door could hear, tears spilling down her cheeks. She impatiently wiped them away, retreating back down the hallway to the inner office. "I knew it," she repeated louder, unable to keep a tremble out of her voice.

"Are you alright?" Maya asked suddenly, noticing the women's distress. After there was no reply, she swallowed the cookie, trying again. "Madeline? Hey, is everything alright? You don't see more Oldbags, did you?"

Madeline caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror above the couch where she'd been previously been sitting. She was white as a sheet, her gray eyes (now shining with tears) the only spots of color on her face. "No, no, nothing like that," she said, desperately trying to keep her voice from cracking. _How... how could he?_

"Are you sure, pal? Did you accidentally walk in on Mr. Edgeworth and Kay?" He laughed, unaware of the reaction it was having on the woman. "I've done that way too many times..."

Madeline's fingernails bit into her palms and she felt her stomach drop. _So he's been... ever since I got back, he's been..._ Fresh tears welled up in her eyes and she felt a desire to hit something, anything. Her vision blurred as she abruptly turned around and stalked back down the hallway, fully intending on confronting him.

As soon as the door opened, Edgeworth and Kay separated. Kay looked down, a slight tinge of pink making its way to her cheeks as she felt embarrassment run through her.

Edgeworth froze suddenly, eyes staring at the women in front of him as he felt his insides twist. One look at her expression told him that she knew that he wasn't just holding Kay in a friendly embrace as comfort after the ordeal. She had seen the kiss. She had that look in her eye, that dangerous one that she got in court, the one that meant that she knew exactly what was going on.

He opened his mouth to speak, but found the words dying before they had a chance to escape him. What could he possibly say in this situation?

"Um..." Kay said, managing a smile. "Hi, Madeline."

"Hello, Miss Faraday," Madeline said frostily. She knew there was no way that Kay could have known about her relationship with Miles; if she had, Madeline would have been able to read it on her face. Kay wasn't wearing a guilty expression; she was flustered, as anybody would be. It wasn't her Madeline was angry with, it was Miles, but that didn't mean that everything would be alright with Kay when this was all over. "I'm glad to see that you got back safely."

"It wasn't that easy. The Oldbags got onto Gummy's car!"

"Is that so?" Madeline's cold gaze never left Edgeworth. "I'm relieved that you both are alright. With no major injuries."

"Um... Miss Brent?" Kay began, smile faltering. "Did you and Miles get back alright? You look... just, are you okay? I hope the Oldbags didn't chase after you two."

"Am I alright?" Madeline repeated, eyes absolutely boring into Edgeworth now. "Why don't you ask him, Miss Faraday? Go right ahead! He'll tell you everything, if he's decent, which I'm frankly having my doubts about right now!" Her voice cracked at the very end as she struggled to restrain her temper, which, as Edgeworth knew, could get out of hand quickly if not controlled.

Again he opened his mouth, only to shut it. He knew Kay's green eyes were looking up at him in confusion, and that sight was almost as unpleasant as having Madeline's ones piercing into him. "I'm sorry," was all he could muster.

"What's going on?" Kay asked, looking back and forth between the pair. She didn't get a reply. "Maybe I should leave you two for a minute," she muttered, taking her arms away from Edgeworth and heading for the inner office.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Madeline rounded on him. "Miles, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

He tried to interject, say something, _anything_, but she continued, beginning to pace around the small room.

"What could possibly make you think that this was alright?" She threw out her hands, revealing red marks where her fingernails had dug into her palms. "You should have just told me, Miles! I would have understood!" There was a second of silence, in which Madeline made one final effort to stay in control, but finally, her temper exploded. "How could you do this to us?!"

From the outside of the hallway, everybody remained frozen. The thief was standing against the wall, thoughts racing. Unease sunk into her. _Please don't be that. Anything but that. _She found herself shaking again, the comfort she'd felt when in his arms disappearing fast.

"We... I didn't know..." He found himself still unable to form a full sentence.

"What, Miles?" Madeline hissed, eyes flashing. "What didn't you know? Which one of us you liked better? Or that you would get caught?" Her chilly anger was worse than her boiling temper.

Outside, Kay slowly slid to the ground, knowing she could stand no longer. She could feel all the eyes in the room turn to her, but only looked forward, not really seeing anything. Taking in a few deep breathes, she tried think, but found her mind was only filled with jumbled thoughts that she couldn't keep up with. Except for one.

_It was all a lie._

She struggled to her feet again.

Inside the room, Madeline's rant continued. "I mean, if you weren't thinking of me, you should have at least thought of her!" The air was crackling with tension. "You changed while I was gone, Miles. I thought I could trust you."

"...I can't excuse what I've done, and I don't expect either of you to forgive me." He sucked in a breath, and looking up, he noticed Kay peering through the doorway, pale faced and unable to meet his eyes. "I never set out to hurt anybody, and seeing you both upset like this... it's..." He couldn't finish the sentence. "I'm sorry."

"That's the worst part, Mr. Edgeworth," Kay said, voice quiet. She finally looked up at both him and Madeline. "You didn't understand that this would hurt us. You just didn't get it; you thought you could just continue on with both of us, and nothing would be wrong with that. But that's not how it works."

And turning on her heel, she found the first room she could that was empty and, locking the door behind her, finally let her tears escape.

Back in the hallway, Madeline seemed to shrink, like the situation had used the last of her energy. "I used to respect you," she whispered brokenly, glancing in the direction that Kay had gone, unable to look at his face. "I used to consider you my role model. But now I can't even look at you. You disgust me, Miles Edgeworth." And with that, Madeline disappeared as well, leaving the prosecutor alone.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter that caused us both the most angst.**

***sobs***

**Out ships have well and truly been sunk.**


	7. Discussions

It was probably the first time neither the prosecutor nor the defense attorney heard the sounds that usually lay outside the Wright and Co. Law Offices.

There was no pleasant and excited chatter of people as they passed by, not the honking of car horns or ringing of bike bells. All fell silent, and it felt outright wrong.

Edgeworth could tell that questions were on the other man's mind as they lay resting in the living space, both assigned guard duty for the first half of the night. The absence of noise wasn't just present outside the building, and the awkwardness the situation carried was becoming unbearable.

"Out with it, Wright," Edgeworth almost snapped, turning his head towards the one in question.

"Out with what?" the defense attorney replied, feigning innocence.

"Your cross-examination. I know that look on your face, I've seen it enough times in court. Just get it over with."

"Okay, Edgeworth. What did you do?"

"Trust you to ask a question that holds an obvious answer," Edgeworth muttered in reply. "You know what I did."

Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Listen Edgeworth, the past is the past. You can't change what happened, I know you know that. But somehow, you're going to need to confront your mistake."

"By the looks of it, I've already been confronted about it." He let out a soft sigh, avoiding eye contact. "Wright, I didn't mean for any of this to happen." His voice now had a tone of helplessness.

"I know you didn't, Edgeworth, but that's the thing. It did happen. And now you need to fix it somehow." The attorney shrugged, shifting positions. "Don't you find it a bit ironic, that by trying to keep them both, you lost them both?" His half-hearted chuckle was cut off by a chilly glare.

"This isn't something to joke about, Wright. The aspect I regret most about the situation is that it hurt both of them. Nothing like this should have happened to either."

"No offense, Edgeworth, but you might have wanted to think about that before all of this happened. It's your fault, regardless of whether or not you felt that they should get hurt. And it's up to you to make it right, because you messed it up in the first place. How hard would it have been to just TELL them when you realized that something was going to go wrong? How hard would it have really been to just-"

"Wright!" Edgeworth snapped, cutting him off. After making sure he would stay silent, the prosecutor began. "I am not excusing what I did in any way. But it was a complicated situation, and telling them was harder than you make it out to be."

"And this situation you got yourself into is even more complicated and difficult to fix than it would have been in the beginning. See, Edgeworth?"

"Wright, I love both of them!" After a second, he lowered his voice. Everybody else was trying to catch sleep after a horrifying day; the last thing he wanted was to ruin that as well. "This wasn't a matter of me trying to gain... physical pleasure from both." That sounded terrible to say out loud. "It was that I genuinely loved Kay and Madeline, and choosing between them wasn't an option, nor was letting either of them go. It's selfish, and I know that... but perhaps I'd deluded myself into thinking that I could continue on as it was, without either finding out the truth." Now he'd managed to meet Phoenix's eyes, only just. "I've lost both of them now, and that can't be changed. What I've done can't be erased or made up for. So bearing that in mind, Wright, it would be appreciated if you didn't rub salt in the wounds any longer. I know this is my fault."

"Edgeworth, I'm not 'rubbing salt in your wounds'." Phoenix raised his hand to stop any objections from the prosecutor and continued. "I'm trying to push you to do the right thing. Which is to get up and fix this somehow. You may not be able to restore the relationships to the way they were, but anything is better than this, right?"

In his mind, he knew that he couldn't fix things. Even if either Kay or Madeline forgave him, they would never forget the pain he'd caused them. "I don't believe so."

"But it couldn't hurt to try, right?"

Edgeworth remembered Madeline's black belt in karate and Kay's ninja skills. "Wright, I think it really could."

Phoenix looked his friend in the eye. "Listen. We are in here, probably surrounded by a bunch of Oldbags that are hunting for you. What have you got to lose?"

"It isn't that simple, you know it's not." He took in a steady breath. "Right now, what I want for both of them is happiness. And if that doesn't involve me in anyway, which frankly would be the right thing, then that's that. I'm not going to try and get back on their good sides for my own gain."

"Edgeworth. Stop thinking about them for a second and think about yourself. Will you be able to live with yourself if you don't at least try to make this right?"

Edgeworth hesitated before shaking his head. "By avoiding them, I am trying to make this right."

Phoenix shook his head over the stubbornness of the prosecutor. "Edgeworth, I know you'll do the right thing, even if you don't know it yourself right now. One way or another, you'll fix this."

* * *

Madeline was curled up on the floor in the small room Maya used as a bedroom whenever the cases kept the team there late. She'd been sleeping, under strict orders from Gumshoe to 'get some rest, pal.' But finally, after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, she'd moved to the floor, in order to cry without waking Maya, who was sleeping nearby. She knew she shouldn't be, crying, really. She was stronger than that, she'd thought. But apparently not.

"Hey, Madeline?" Maya's voice came from the bed beside her, and it was followed by sounds that indicated the medium had turned over. "You're still awake, right?"

"Wh-What?" Madeline said quietly, hastily wiping her eyes and sniffing a little to try and get her voice to sound normal. "Y-yeah, I'm awake, Maya. What do you need?"

"I don't need anything. I... well, I sort of thought you might." Her voice was gentle, and she bit her lip when trying to find the right words. "Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?"

"N-No, Maya, it's fine. Go back to sleep. I'm alright, really." The words rang hollow in her ears.

"But you're not, though," Maya whispered after a minute of silence. "Madeline, you don't have to pretend, because I know that what happened was really horrible. I'm here if you need to talk about it." She hesitated for a second. "You might not want to right now, but if you do sometime in the future..."

"Thanks Maya. I'll keep that in mind." Madeline bit her lip. Fresh tears began to spill over her cheeks and she impatiently brushed them away. She was a prosecutor now. Prosecutors didn't cry.

"Maya," she murmured, not even sure if the spirit medium could hear her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"What would you do? If you were me, that is," Madeline asked distantly, crossing over to the window and looking out over the ruined city, silver in the moonlight.

"I..." Maya faltered. Sitting up, she watched Madeline, who seemed lost in thought. "I really don't know. I can't imagine Ni-... anybody doing that, it's too awful." She began to blush, but thankfully her friend hadn't seemed to noticed the slip up. "I'm sorry, Madeline."

Madeline had indeed noticed the slip of the tongue, which brought a smirk to her lips for barely half a second. Then she sighed, turning away from the window, only her silhouette visible to Maya. "No, don't be sorry. It was a silly question. I shouldn't have expected you to answer that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Do you know what you're going to do?"

"No. I haven't the slightest idea, Maya," Madeline said. "I don't know what to do. What can I do?"

"Um... well... you could talk to Mr. Edgeworth? And Kay as well."

"Maya, no. I-I can't do that." It was unnerving to feel this way. Almost afraid. Madeline knew that she couldn't talk to Edgeworth again. "I can't... lose my temper like that again," was all she told Maya, but it went deeper than that. She had no desire to speak to him, none at all.

"I know it would be hard, but you really have to sort this out. There's... well, there's a lot at stake. For all we know, we could be the last ones here, we need to stick together. We can't let anything else get in the way." She suddenly placed a hand over her mouth. "Of repopulating the Earth! No, I'm kidding!" she added hastily after seeing Madeline's horrified expression.

The prosecutor wisely decided to ignore the last statement, although her black belt mind was begging her to hit something. "Maya, there isn't anything to sort out. Not on my end, not on his end, not on Kay's end. What's done is done. And there's nothing that can be done to fix it."

"Are you sure? If it can't be fixed you may as well steal his cravat or something."

As much as Madeline appreciated Maya trying to make light of the situation, she didn't really want to talk anymore. "It's okay, Maya. Thanks. We should go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day. And don't forget, we have guard duty in a few hours. I'll wake you up, I... don't think I'll be getting much more sleep."

* * *

Just like the prosecutor in the next room over, the thief wasn't having much luck getting any sleep herself. Gumshoe had kindly told her to take the only bed available, but the comfortable sheets did nothing to aid her journey to rest.

She just couldn't stop thinking.

"Hey, pal, you okay over there?" Gumshoe, who'd been dozing on the couch, was now looking at her, apparently noticing that Kay was awake. A worried line creased his forehead as he examined the young thief, wondering what on earth he could say or do to help.

Kay swallowed, but it did nothing to rid the lump in her throat. Taking in a shaky breath, she tried to speak. It came out distorted, something unintelligible. Even if it could be deciphered, she wasn't sure what she was trying to say.

Gumshoe wasn't sure what to do at all. He'd never been put in this kind of situation before. "Kay, you know that I'm here for you and that you can tell me anything, right? These lips are sealed." He mimed zipping his lips shut, trying to get the woman to smile.

Again she opened her mouth, praying that she could say something. After getting the same results, and feeling an overwhelming amount of despair inside her, she leapt out of the bed, running over to him. Flinging her arms around the surprised detective, she let out a strangled sob.

He patted her hair, trying to calm her down. "Hey... shhh, it's okay," he murmured, although he knew in his heart that it wasn't.

"G-Gummy," she managed to choke. "S-Sorry... th-this is pathetic." The tears she'd tried to hold back came flowing out all at once.

"No, it isn't, Kay," he told her. "You've been through a lot today, pal, and it's comin' out now. It's fine."

She couldn't reply. She was certain that there was a wet patch left by her tears on his coat, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. Regardless, she pulled away, sniffing. "Gummy... can you tell me something?"

"Sure thing, pal, what is it?" Gumshoe tried to fake cheerfulness, but seeing Kay torn up like this was killing him inside.

"He was dating her when she was his assistant, wasn't he?" Her voice was quiet, but stronger than she'd expected. She needed an answer; this was more than just her usual curiosity.

He looked at her for a second, trying to figure out how to best answer without hurting the young thief any further. "Well, pal, it was a long time ago, you can't expect me to-"

"-Please, Gummy," she whispered. "I... I have to know."

Gumshoe sighed. "Yes, pal. He was. They... seemed to be really happy together. I thought for sure he was going to propose before she left for Europe. But he didn't, I'm not sure why. Maybe he wasn't ready yet, maybe she wasn't. Either way, he was upset when she left. Moped around the office for weeks. But then, he met you, Kay. And he seemed happier again, but in... I don't know, pal, but it seemed to me that he was happier in... a different way, if that makes any sense."

"It does make sense." That was the worst part, it made so much sense that he'd love Madeline. They were just like each other; everything was a puzzle and the two pieces had fit together perfectly.

What did that make her? A piece that didn't fit? A replacement? She had no idea anymore.

Did she envy Madeline? Of course. At the same time, Kay had enough sense to know that Madeline had known just as much as she herself had. She'd just thought everything was fine. By the sounds of it, the new prosecutor was suffering even more than she was.

Kay held on to Gumshoe tightly again. "I really thought everything was going to be okay. Like that things were finally going to work out." For the first time in years, everything seemed complete. There wasn't her father's murderer hiding somewhere in the shadows, nor was there that feeling of helplessness because nobody _understood_. Miles Edgeworth had solved both problems, he'd offered to help her catch Calisto Yew, despite her being nothing but a makeshift thief who in fact, had never stolen anything.

But it all seemed to come crashing down.

Gumshoe wrapped his arms around her. "Pal, it'll all be okay in the end. Everything will turn out alright."

"Do you... do you think I should talk to him?"

The detective sighed. "Pal, I don't think you should. At least not yet. Give Mr. Edgeworth a chance to straighten out his own head first, then you can go ask him to help you straighten out yours."

"I just want to know why," she said, voice quiet.

"I know, pal, I know," he told her. "But I just think you should wait a bit, Kay. See what happens. Talking to Mr Edgeworth now would probably just end up in another fight."

"Probably." Now that she'd spoken about it, she did feel just a bit better. It hadn't changed the situation, but she could feel herself drifting off, and sleep no longer felt like an eternity away. She slipped off the couch, managing to smile. "Thanks, Gummy. Really."

"Hey, pal, that's what I'm here for." He breathed a sigh of relief that Kay was feeling better. He'd been worried for a bit there.

"I think I'll be able to sleep now." Crawling under the covers, she was glad to feel that her mind seemed slightly hazy, the haziness that came from being tired. She wouldn't over think anything, or think about anything at all.

None of it would matter until she'd wake up in the morning.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone, Diana here. Just wanted to thank you for reading this. Despite only being a crack fic, we really have poured our hearts and souls into it. Hope you're enjoying, and thanks for supporting us! :)**


	8. A Plan

The atmosphere around the office was all but welcoming the next day.

As the group gathered round to eat what was nearly the last of the food the office contained, a heavy silence covered them. Phoenix, Maya and Gumshoe held their breaths, awaiting any conflict that could arise.

Edgeworth's head remained lowered, avoiding all eye-contact with everybody, particularly the two women who sat across from him. He had no idea what they were thinking at that moment, and didn't really want to find out. He knew the situation was entirely his fault, however still had no clue how to remedy it. For once, logic was failing him.

Kay was trying her best to look alright, but wasn't sure that she was doing too good a job. Seated next to Gumshoe, she wanted to make some sort of conversation with him, but found that she had nothing to say. It still felt like there was a void in her chest, and it was one of the most unpleasant things she'd experienced. What was she supposed to do at a time like this? Trying to laugh it off seemed so wrong.

Madeline had perfected her poker face long ago while working in the Prosecutor's Office. It came in handy in her line of work. She stared blankly ahead, not touching the food in front of her. Maya gently touched her arm, saying something quietly. It was an unintelligible mutter in Madeline's ears.

The doorbell rang, seeming surprisingly loud given the silence, causing several people to jump. The group exchanged nervous glances. Who – or what – was out there?

"I'll get it," Gumshoe said, getting to his feet, but Edgeworth was quicker.

"No, I'll go," he told the detective. In truth, he just wanted to get out of the room, to not feel everyone's eyes on him anymore.

As he left, the atmosphere became less tense, but only slightly. Madeline was still staring straight ahead, her eyes not wavering, giving no sign that she'd heard. But in her head, she was now reflecting on the last time Edgeworth had gone to answer the door, the time that her life had been turned upside down. She had no doubt that he could read her, he was the only person who really could, but she knew he wasn't paying attention. It suited her just fine.

It was stupid, how Kay still didn't want him to leave. There was no denying that all three of them being in the same room was suffocating, but the risk that an Oldbag could be out there was worse. She hated how she cared about him, but she couldn't help herself. If only she could sweep away everything she felt and just focus on the current situation; that they were trapped in an office with rapidly decreasing food supplies, not knowing what was going on in the outside world.

Part of Edgeworth regretted offering to get the door. As soon as he'd exited, he felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders, however it was quickly replacing by dread. It only really hit him then that he had no clue what could be out there; the most obvious answer was an Oldbag. Few people were left in the city, and what was the chance of one coming to Wright's office of all places?

He slowly approached the door, weighing the options. If it was a survivor, of course they'd welcome them. They needed to stick together to get through, and nobody with a shred of decency would allow them to be left outside where it wasn't safe. However, if they weren't… he could be placing everybody in the office in very real danger.

He gripped the door handle. At the very least, he needed to open it to take a quick look. He wasn't about to let an innocent person stay out there, where many Oldbags lingered. He carefully turned it, opening the door just an inch.

"Hello?" a familiar voice said tentatively. "Mr Wright, is that you? I was hoping you'd be here, I tried to go to the Prosecutor's Office to find Mr Edgeworth, but the whole place was overrun with those zombies! So I decided to come here and I'm really glad you're okay and-"

"Ema!" Edgeworth exclaimed, opening the door wider. Relief ran through him, and a little guilt; he hadn't even stopped to consider if she was alright this entire time. He really should have; after all, Lana was still in prison, and as far as he'd known Ema had been alone when visited from Europe. She really had nowhere to go. "Please, come inside quickly," he told her. "Are you alright?"

Ema looked overcome with surprise at the sight of Edgeworth. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I was actually worried about you, with all the zombies in the Prosecutor's Office and all..." she said shakily, following him inside.

"Both Madeline and I got out alright, as well as Kay and Gumshoe," he explained. "We're here with Wright and Maya now. And those aren't exactly... well, 'zombies'." _Then again, how on earth does the situation make sense either way?_

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Ema said. Ignoring his second comment, she eyed him sternly. "Did you get the 'situation' all figured out?"

"Ah... well..." He looked away, trying to work out the best way to phrase it. "They... they both know, if that's what you mean. Though calling the situation 'figured out' probably wouldn't be the best way to put it."

Ema frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry," she said awkwardly. "I mean, I suppose it'll all work out for the best in the end, right?"

"I can't see anything working out for any of us," he told her honestly. He stayed silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Anyway, that's not what's important now. We have much more concerning issues at hand, like our survival. Come on, we're just eating breakfast now."

"I hope there's some for me," Ema said, regaining some of her usual good spirits. "I haven't eaten in God knows how long!"

"Then please, help yourself," Edgeworth invited, though he knew that they didn't have many supplies left. Likely they'd have to leave soon and find somewhere else safe. The problem was that he wasn't sure that they were safe anywhere. He opened the door leading to the living area, leading her in.

"Ema!" Phoenix said, surprised. He smiled at her, standing. "Wow, I'm glad you've gotten here okay... you look exhausted, would you like something to eat?"

Ema grinned wearily, sitting down beside him. "Do you have to ask?"

"Well, I'd offer you burgers," Maya began, suddenly upset, "but those stupid Oldbags took the burger meat! I'm famished, all this healthy stuff Nick's trying to feed me is terrible!"

"It's okay, Maya, at this point, I'm happy with _any_ food," Ema told her, devouring the meal like she hadn't eaten in three days, which for all they knew she might not have. Then, something seemed to click and she looked up, mouth full of food. "Wait... 'Oldbags'? Did you say Oldbags?"

"Yeah, pal," Gumshoe chimed in, frowning. "Oldbags everywhere, dressed like the Pink Badgers we saw at Gatewater Land. They also have those creepy ray gun things that are actually firing lasers!"

Ema looked lost in thought. "Oldbag... Oldbag..." she mumbled to herself.

Madeline looked up sharply. "Ema," she said suddenly. Everyone jumped. It was the first time she'd spoken all day. "Do you remember at Oldbag's funeral, when those chemicals you had spilled on her coffin? What exactly were those?"

Ema's hand jumped to her mouth. "You don't think...!"

Madeline nodded. "I do. Everyone, I've just solved the mystery of how these Oldbags came to be." She stood and pointed at Ema. "The chemicals which fell out of Ema's bag and into Oldbag's grave after the funeral service must have reacted strangely and caused Oldbag's transformation."

"Oh!" Ema's hand now moved to her cheek, her mouth still open in surprise. "Oh, of course! Those chemicals, I think each individual one was supposed to affect a living organism in a different way each. So when they were combined together... they must have been able to bring her back to life! Not to mention, I think one of the mixtures was meant to make cells reproduce, but I'd never gotten a chance to try it..."

"Well," Phoenix muttered, "I think we can agree that it works. That's why there are so many Oldbags; they just keep multiplying!"

Ema sighed, leaning back in her chair. With her eyes closed, she groaned. "Guys, I'm so sorry, this is my entire fault. I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. And now everybody's in danger... this is such a mess." She opened her eyes again, sighing. "I really hope Lana's okay."

Edgeworth knew she was troubled by it. Ema and Lana were as close as sisters could be, and not knowing how she was doing was obviously giving her grief. "I wouldn't worry too much, Ema," he said. "I know for a fact that while most people left the city, many security officers stayed behind to guard the prisons, as they couldn't find a way to get all the prisoners out without the risk of them fleeing. As strange as it sounds, she's in the safest place in the city. If nobody can get out, I doubt the Oldbags could get in."

No one said a word after that, wrapped up in their own thoughts. Then, one by one, they all looked up, all with the same idea in their minds.

"The prison," Madeline breathed. "The safest place in the city, you said it yourself."

How had they not seen it before? "Of course, we can't stay here forever, can we?" Edgeworth stated, his voice taking on the tone he used during trials. "The supplies are quickly running low, and really, if a large number of them decided to attack, the office hardly had the required defenses. The prison on the other hand..."

"It's perfect," Madeline continued, standing up and pacing, the light returning to her eyes. "It has fortification, protection, weapons if we need them, more supplies..."

"And perhaps most importantly, more people," he added. "People who are trained in protection. This will work well, we can stay there until we can arrange some sort of transportation out of the city, or until the last of the Oldbags have been gotten rid of." There, the pieces of logic had strung together. Finally, they had a plan.

Madeline couldn't hold back a triumphant grin as she spun around, meeting the eyes of her former boss, feeling the familiar rush that she's often felt when they'd figured something out - together. As she did, it all came rushing back to her, hitting her so hard that she almost fell over. How could she have fallen for it again? "Well, I'm glad we figured it out," she said coolly. "If you'll excuse me." She disappeared down the hallway, her heels clicking against the floor.

The small amount of excitement that everybody had felt temporarily seemed to fade quickly, the same silence that had been unbearable before returning. Though there was a new ray of hope for them, it seemed so far away. With the current problems amongst the small group, how could they hope to work together?

"I think it's a good plan," Phoenix commented. "How to get there is the problem though. Gumshoe's car is damaged, Edgeworth's would attract the Oldbags from miles away, and Maya and I only have bikes."

"Bikes won't be any use, if the Oldbags spotted somebody then that would be the end," Edgeworth thought aloud. "If we're fast enough, hopefully we can avoid them if we take my car. As much as I'd dislike have seven people in it-"

"I can solve that problem." Madeline suddenly reappeared, leaning against the door frame, observing the group at the table. "I'm not going." Her voice was cold and emotionless, her gray eyes burning into Edgeworth. This was clearly a result of her lapse of judgement earlier.

"Madeline!" Maya stood up, shock evident. "What do you mean? You can't just stay here, there's barely any food left and what if the Oldbags came? There'd be nobody else to help!"

"Let me rephrase that," Madeline replied. "I'm not going in the car."

"Well, there's no other way," Edgeworth replied smoothly. "It may not be an ideal situation to say the least, but we don't have much of a choice. None of us here are exactly experts with cars, so fixing Detective Gumshoe's is out of the question... by the looks of it, it couldn't be repaired even by a professional."

A small whimper was heard.

"But Mr. Edgeworth, you're forgetting something," Madeline told him, her voice turning almost mocking, eyes flashing.

Kay, who up until then had been sitting quietly, looked up. She knew where Madeline was going, and felt as though she needed to say something. "You can't do that," she told her. "There's no way you'd make it, those Oldbags are ruthless. Even in the car they almost tore apart me and Gummy, there's no way you could take a bike. You may as well walk."

Madeline looked back calmly. "I know," she replied. "I'm prepared for that."

"But you shouldn't be!" Kay now stood, now annoyed. She could understand that Madeline didn't want to be in the car - honestly, neither did she - but willingly putting herself in danger was just stupid. "If you're so okay with being in danger then just walk out of here and don't even bother trying to go to the prison."

Madeline frowned. "Is that all you think this is, Miss Faraday? Well, I can assure you that I wouldn't be that selfish." She looked around at all the others, raising one eyebrow as if daring them to challenge her as well. Directing her next statement to Edgeworth, she continued. "We all know that the Oldbags will come after you as soon as they see you leaving. So, what you're going to do is give something of yours to me. I'll lead them off in the wrong direction, take a roundabout way, and make it to the prison. That's all."

To everybody's surprise, Kay snorted. "Yeah, that's not recklessly putting yourself in danger at all. If going on a bike wasn't bad enough, you're gonna take something of his?" She gestured to Edgeworth, not making eye-contact. She paused a moment, trying to steady her voice. "There's no way you'd make it on your own in that case. It's not a question of your ability, but the Oldbags; when Mr Edgeworth is involved, they're rabid. You don't stand a chance."

"I've outsmarted them once, Miss Faraday, with him there no less. I have complete faith that I can do it again."

"I... you can't go off on your own, though! There are only seven of us, we need to stick together."

"I'll be fine, thank you." Madeline frowned, trying to figure out why Kay was so concerned.

The thought of splitting up again was welcoming to the thief. Her and Gumshoe had barely pulled through the first time, what on Earth was Madeline thinking? Regardless of how she personally felt about her, she wasn't going to send her to her death. "Not if you go alone. I'm coming with you."

Madeline's mouth fell open. "K-Kay, I can't let you do that," she told her. Why would Kay want to come with her? She'd imagined Kay would be pleased, but apparently she wasn't as selfish as she had originally thought.

"Why not? There are two bikes aren't there? If it's not too dangerous for you, then why not me?" The thief kept her gaze steady. "You can't just go off on your own. You're smarter than that, it's not worth the risk."

"She's right," Phoenix added. "If one of you is going, it makes no sense to leave the other behind. It's unsafe either way, but the two of you working together would be much better."

Madeline sighed, pressing her lips together. "Well, I'm not exactly in any position to stop you, am I?" she asked wearily.

Kay managed a smile. "No, not really."

Madeline glanced back, not smiling. "Alright," she said, addressing the rest of the room. "Let's make a plan."

* * *

**A/N: Guess which authors neglected this story for ages? :D**

**Yeah, we don't have much of an excuse, sorry. But we're back now and ready to go, so if you can find it in your hearts to forgive us, we can all watch the battle unfold together in future chapters. We really hope you're enjoying the story!**


End file.
